D I S T A N C E
by N3L
Summary: It was easy to love from afar. Watch how Raven slowly, but surely, manages to fall in love with the most unlikely of people. How long can loving him from a distance satisfy her? Rated T just to be safe. DISCONTINUED.


**Disclaimer: If I owned the Teen Titans, this wouldn't be marked as fanfiction, honestly, come on now.**

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D I S T A N C E

By: Sil3ntxspirit

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It was easy to love from afar.

.

..

…Much too easy.

She watched him get along with everyone, all smiles and casual chuckles, observed from the corner of her eye his little gestures, the way his hands and fingers weaved through the air as he talked, or how he scratched hesitantly at his neck when he was unsure. The simple grace of running his well-structured hands through his hair absent-mindedly was a beautiful thing in its simplicity. His playful demeanor lifted her spirits, even though she'd _never_ admit it (the same way she'd never admit Starfire's bubbly personality made her smile on the inside). His quick grins and vibrant laughter…even something as simple as his easy-going gait…she quietly stored in her mind without knowing. Everything external about him was slowly but surely imprinted into the recesses of her mind with loving care. Delicately but _firmly _bound and stored neatly within the confines of her memories.

At first, Raven wasn't even aware of what she was doing. She was naturally observant of those around her, it was just in her nature to _look _instead of partake.

So, she didn't pay any attention to the gradually growing cache of little bits and pieces of _him_ in her mind. After all, she was always observant, wasn't she?

It didn't start out that way, of course. Love at first sight was unheard of for Raven, at least in all her seventeen years. In fact, it couldn't be even further away from that. She had gone over with Cyborg for a quick visit, to admire her big brother's handy-work in team-dynamics. The Titans East were a colorful bunch, then again, when it came to meta-humans, they were _always _a colorful bunch. First there was BumbleBee, all self-assured confidence and womanly but welcoming presence. Then the curious duo, Mas and Menos who disappeared in a blink of an eye and appeared again in another blink with a small bouquet of flowers for her, chattering away so quickly that it took her a moment to even figure out that they were speaking an Earth language: Spanish. Next was the gentle Atlantian, Aqualad who was still handsome and gentlemanly (something she would also never admit was that she probably harbored the tiniest of crushes on him then). Finally, there was _him, _with his shocking orange hair gelled carefully to perfection, flamboyant spotless uniform and ready grin that carried just a hint of lewd suggestion. She wrote him off as a typical, full-of-himself, playboy. Of course, Cyborg spouting things about his…tendencies toward females to warn his little sister didn't help.

Then there was the way he carefully groomed his hair and kept it at just the right length with frequent haircuts and paid detailed attention in his uniform. (Though, she had to admit to herself, his efforts had fruitful results, as she silently admired how well the red spandex outfit seemed to hint at his lean muscular physique without baring it all and showed off his sculpted arms. And she could definitely appreciate _those_). His boisterous voice was no surprise either as she heard him joking aloud all the way from the kitchen as she prepared her herbal tea for the afternoon.

Arrogant. Cocky, even. Not stupid of course, but definitely without depth.

All of these thing's was what came to mind when she thought of him. But of course, she also recognized positive things in him, such as that fierce undying loyalty to his teammates, the laid-back personality that didn't take offense easily and the overall happy-go-lucky way he was. Personality-wise, she thought that Speedy wasn't anything special really. If it weren't for his past, or training or _whatever _that had gotten him mixed up in the super hero business, Speedy would've been an average guy, who fit like a glove into civilian society. She saw him as a popular jock in high school, flirtatious and successful with the girls and respected by of all his fellow classmates. Yes, it was too simple. So simple that there was hardly a need to dwell on it. Or him, for that matter.

However, this was one of the rare times where Raven was proven wrong at reading people. But then again, as she would discover later, Speedy was just full of surprises. And it seemed that just when she had wrote him off as something, he would grow a new dimension. It was maddening, really, till she was truly intrigued and finally, decided to _look _at Speedy and past what he merely presented.

But back to the beginning, that was _only _the first impression. That was the first time she came in contact with the resident archer of the Titans East. The second time they came into contact was different, and under much more serious circumstances. Steel City had become monotonous while Jump City was crawling with crime. It seemed that all the super villains had a mini congregation and grew some brains to form a strategy. It wasn't on such a massive scale as what Monsieur Mallah and what the Brain would gather, but it was enough to wear the super heroes of Jump City down.

Cyborg always had spare parts, but he found himself using them up much more quickly than usual, as he was down to his second to last right leg, which was already slightly dysfunctional in itself, his left leg was thankfully in good condition. And his arms…well, let's just say that his cannons cost a pretty penny to build and rebuild again. It didn't help that sleep deprivation forced most of the thinking to the digital part of his brain, though completely logical and accurate, it couldn't compare to the gut feeling and instinct of his human mind. Everything needed time to heal, to build or fix.

Beast Boy sported many bruises and scrapes, half-healed cuts, and tender ribs that throbbed every time he transformed. And for once, the green tinge of Beast Boy's skin hinted at his declining health.

Starfire was really the best off out of all of them. She'd sprained her ankle, as absurd as that sounded (she had been forced onto the ground under the weight of a piece of _building, _for Tamaran's sake), and had many muscle injuries, but no broken bones. Her lovely red hair lost it's shine and dulled with her starbolts as her energy began to wane.

The Boy Wonder's condition was similar to Beast Boy's except that at the very end of the week, he'd finally managed to fracture his leg and fumed in his freshly put on cast.

Raven was physically better off like Starfire, however sleep deprivation was wearing on her. Well, not in the sense that her _body _couldn't take it, thanks to her demon heritage, she was pretty well off, but it was also _because _of her demon heritage that she was in danger. She wasn't slipping, but it took more control to keep things under control. She exerted herself in healing everyone and was constantly seen slipping into a deep, heavy, and concentrated meditation.

The team sat around the common room in the late morning, bruised faces and split lips and weighted spirits. The price of victory wasn't as sweet as it should have been.

"Dude…what is _up with this?" _Beast Boy groaned, touching his ribs tenderly.

"They're trying to wear us down," came Robin's clipped reply.

"Well, it sure is _working," _snorted Cyborg as he leaned back on the couch. He'd get to fixing himself up later…just…a…little shut-eye first…

Raven had been in her meditative trance for the last ten minutes, and finally floated down onto the couch and opened her eyes before looking directly at their leader.

"We can't go on like this. We need help." Her blunt statement echoed silently in everyone's hearts, now it was up to them to let go of their pride, _especially _Bird Boy.

"Yes, I think that would be most wise," Starfire agreed in a soft voice, "we are in no state to keep up this battle at this rate."

Robin exhaled noisily through his nose before slumping down just the slightest. He knew Raven was right. He knew that they couldn't keep this up, no mater how determined they were. But dammit, it didn't mean that he'd have to like it.

"I know, Star. We'll call the Titans East over for back-up, how's that sound to everyone?"

Mumbles and grunts and groans of agreement met his ears. He deflated with a sigh, and grudgingly took out his communicator and fumbled a bit for the code to the Titans East.

The small screen flickered to life as a warm voice spilled into the defeated room, "Hey there, Wonder Boy. Everything alright?" A faint male voice in the background asked who it was.

Robin managed a friendly smile at BumbleBee and resumed business. "Long time no see, BumbleBee. Actually," he sighed, "…we need some back-up over here. Things have been particularly busy and we're stretched thin."

"Is that so? Well, I'm almost jealous. It's been oddly quiet over here actually…how 'bout I send Speedy over there? He's been bouncing off the walls and annoying the crap out of me and the rest of the team from how quiet it is." The same voice protested in the background. BumbleBee looked away from the screen momentarily while speaking, "I'm sure that all his _boundless energy would come in handy."_

Robin snorted in amusement. "Sure. I'll put all that energy on the front-line." The voice drawled in response: 'Aww…you guys are _cold, man.'_

BumbleBee smiled at the screen, a raised eyebrow in question, "So, it's settled then? He'll leave today."

The two leaders smiled in agreement. "Yep. Thanks for the extra hand."

The young woman's smile spread mischievously. "Not at all. 'Fact, I should be thanking _you." _And with a click the communicator was off.

Later in evening, Beast Boy slumped dramatically down to the entrance of the T-Tower and came face to face (or face to lower-chin technically) to Speedy of the Titans East.

Speedy's brow rose at the sight of the shape-shifter, "No offense, BB, but I think you're _wilting_."

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**AN: I got a little tired of the Naruto fandom it seems. Plus I couldn't find any inspirational Ino fics. Hardly are any, really. Anyhoo, here's to my second attempt. Just kind of feeling the water here and wetting my toes. We'll see how this goes. **

**Sort have a plot. Sorta don't. **


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